What is concrete sealant?

The main reason for concrete sealing is to protect the floor from damage such as wear, stains, freeze-thaw and salt attack. It is very important to prevent liquids and chemicals from entering the concrete and damaging it. Sealing increases the life of concrete and therefore maintains its performance for a longer period of time.

Concrete sealer can also be used simply to beautify floors, increase shine and enhance color, especially decorative concrete. Finally, sealers can be used to add some form of anti-slip to the floor – think of a wet concrete walkway or a concrete pool deck.

If you don’t seal your concrete, you’re likely to run into a lot of problems. Remember that concrete is a very strong and durable material, but it is still porous. Concrete has capillaries and pores that allow dirt, mold and mildew, and moisture to enter.

It is also very important to block corrosive chemicals. Things like deicing salts or chlorides from the ocean can get into the concrete.

There are two general categories of concrete sealants: Local sealants and penetrating sealants. There are two types of sealer in these categories: Water based and solvent based.

Concrete sealants come in either water-based or solvent-based forms, but there are a few key differences.

The purpose of a solvent in a sealer formulation is to act as a carrier for the sealing components. The solvent dilutes the sealer, making it easier to spread and soak into the concrete when applied, leaving only the polymers on the surface as the solvent breaks down. The disadvantage of solvent-based sealers is that they are dangerous (flammable), have a strong smell, and emit harmful vapors in the environment. With the advancement of modern technology, we can now use water as a “solvent” for our concrete sealants instead of harmful chemical solvents.

Using a water-based sealer has many advantages. Water itself is more environmentally friendly, but there are no ignition problems and much less odor, so it is safer to use them indoors. Water-based sealers are also less sensitive to moisture and tend to hold their shine longer.

Chemical solvent-based sealers can give a great shine or improvement to the surface, but they don’t last long enough.

Topical sealants form a transparent layer on the top layer of concrete and provide the best physical barrier for the surface. This transparent protective layer prevents substances such as moisture, chemicals, dirt and debris and stains (such as car oil) from entering the concrete.

The main chemicals available for topical sealers are acrylic, epoxy, or polyurethane, which can be water-based or solvent-based. Epoxy sealer does not have good UV resistance, so it is mostly used for interior applications. Acrylic concrete sealants can be used indoors or outdoors and are usually a one-part product. There is no mixture involved and they are easier to use and dry faster. However, acrylic polymer is usually not as tough or water resistant as the polymers found in urethane. If your primary focus is on shine, a clear acrylic sealer will certainly do the trick.

Our premium acrylic sealant is ideal for concrete, especially for projects that require rotation. This is a highly stain and wear resistant acrylic sealer that dries in 20-30 minutes. Apply multiple coats for extra shine.

The best performance of water based urethane sealers usually comes in 2 parts. This means mixing A and B together. These 2 parts are chemically combined or cross-linked to form a much harder polymer on the surface of your concrete. 2-part polyurethanes are much better for stain protection, abrasion resistance and water resistance on concrete.

Epoxy concrete sealants are very hard. These are perfect for high-exposure concrete surfaces, such as warehouses and delivery centers with heavy foot and vehicle traffic. Using epoxy as a base sealer makes it very resistant to chemicals and moisture.

Two of the most popular chemicals used for penetrating sealers are silane/siloxane emulsions and fluorochemicals.

Both of these products are excellent waterproof, mold resistant and salt resistant. However, fluorochemicals also repel oily contaminants (motor oil and food) and are therefore much more stain resistant.

Penetrating sealers can be solvent or water based and again the same issues apply to solvents. It means flammability, vapor and smell.

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